NORTON, Mass. – Junior guard Tristan Herry (East Taunton, Mass.) scored 19 points and the Wheaton College (Mass.) men's basketball team used a big second half to come away with a 78-61 victory over visiting Massachusetts Institute of Technology this evening in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play at Emerson Gymnasium on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.

The Lyons improve to 10-9 overall and 5-5 in league play, while the Engineers fall to 8-11 and 2-8.

Wheaton shot 42.1% (24-57) for the game, while holding its guests to just 37.5% (18-48). MIT was unable to overcome 20 turnovers committed in the game.

Herry was a perfect 6-6 from the line and added two rebounds, a pair of assists and two steals for the Lyons, while classmate Eoin Morrissey (Watertown, Mass.) netted 16 points on 6-10 from the floor, pulled down seven rebounds, handed out three assists and came up with a steal. Sophomore guard Dimetri Iafrate (Johnston, R.I.) was 8-8 from the line as part of a 16-point effort and added three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals. Junior guard Sal Pedevillano (Parsippany, N.J.) knocked down a trio of triples and was 4-8 from the field in an 11-point night to go with five rebounds and two steals and sophomore forward Mohammad Nasereddin (Amman, Jordan) contributed with a career-high 10 points on an efficient 4-5 shooting performance in addition to grabbing six boards and making a steal in 12 minutes in the second half.

Junior forward Parker Spann (Omaha, Neb.) led the Engineers with 16 points and added four rebounds, two assists and a steal and junior guard Rome Delgado-Gonzalez (Miami, Fla.) was a perfect 10-10 from the free throw line, en-route to scoring 14 points and snared seven rebounds to go with an assist. Senior guard Spencer Lin (Menlo Park, Calif.) chipped in with 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals.

Wheaton trailed by five points at the half, but began the second stanza with nine unanswered points, capped by a put-back layup from Nasereddin, to set the tone for the session and give the home team the lead for good at 35-31 with 16:04 showing on the second half clock. MIT closed to within a point after scoring five of the next seven points, punctuated by a three-point play by Delgado-Gonzalez to pull the Engineers to within 37-36 at the 13:44 mark of the half. It was as close as they would get for the remainder of the contest. 

The Lyons put together a 10-3 stretch over the next three minutes, sparked by a pair of three-balls from Herry, to take a 47-39 advantage with 10:58 left in the game. Pedevillano later knocked down a trey to bump Wheaton's margin to 53-43 with 9:12 to go in the half, but MIT cut the deficit in half after a 7-2 burst to make it 55-50 with 6:03 remaining in the contest.

Morrissey made a pair of free throws to cap a 9-3 run and give the Lyons a 64-53 cushion with 3:35 left in the half. Delgado-Gonzalez reduced the Engineers' difference to single digits (68-59) with a pair of free throws at 2:32, but Wheaton left no doubt with a 10-2 stretch to close out the game, including six points from Herry, and secure a 17-point triumph.

Morrissey scored the first points of the game with a fastbreak layup at 19:25 of the opening half for the Lyons, before MIT put together a 12-3 string, led by five points from sophomore guard Isaac Dobie (Kitty Hawk, N.C.), to take an early 12-5 lead with 13:56 to play in the half. Wheaton countered with an 11-3 outburst, fueled by five points from Pedevillano, to take a 16-15 edge at the 10-minute mark of the stanza. 

The Engineers reclaimed the lead, but Morrissey made a layup with just 4:04 to go in the half to keep the home team within 23-22. MIT scored the next six points, including four from Spann, to increase its advantage to 29-22 with 91 seconds remaining in the half. First year guard Jackson Weiland (Medford, Ore.) ended the half with a pair of free throws to send the Engineers into the break with a 31-26 lead. 

The Lyons return to action on Saturday, February 1 when they travel to Springfield, Mass. to take on league rival Springfield College at 1:00 p.m., while MIT hosts NEWMAC foe Salve Regina University on the same day at 2:00 p.m.